We went camping at Ross Lake on the August long weekend. It's a beautiful spot to go camping and we can't believe we've never been there before. Other than feeding a lot of mosquitoes (at least here they don't carry malaria), it was a great camping trip. We were thankful for being able to have campfires on the US-side campground while the fire ban was in effect at the BC campground just across the border!

Going to fill up our water jug at the tap to take back to our campsite, Talia (8) exclaimed, "Camping would be boring in Africa, wouldn't it? They have to do this every day." With that simple statement she captured the harsh reality for so many people living on the continent of Africa.

Women and girls, who are responsible for common household duties, walk an average of 6 kilometers to bring home water, which may or may not be clean. They often carry up to 20kg (44lbs) of water on their heads. In addition, these same women and girls are responsible for collecting firewood to cook the family meals. Living in communities where poverty has led to deforestation, these women and girls have to walk further to collect firewood, taking away time they could have spent in other activities to improve their lives, such as schooling or small business. And as firewood becomes more scarce, fuel prices increase, driving on the vicious cycle of poverty.

That's why a simple clay portable stove can have such an impact -- healthier families with greater opportunities!

The video gives a snapshot of the Monger family’s work with Fuel Efficient Stoves in Magozi in Tanzania.

our EI Tanzania team

We're thankful for the EI team that is in Tanzania and is already welcoming us as part of the team through email and skype. They seem like a great team and we look forward to joining them. (You can meet some of the team members here)

EI Tanzania country directors, Andrew and Miriam Wingfield, recently gave this recommendation:

“From our first contact with the VanWoerden family, we recognised that they have a heart to serve local churches, equipping them to share the whole Gospel with their communities, addressing people’s physical, spiritual and emotional needs in an integrated way. This is something very close to our hearts too, and as EI’s work has developed here in Tanzania over recent years we sense God at work sharpening our focus to equip local churches to be effective agents of grassroots transformation. Andre and Alex’s backgrounds in natural resources management, business management and seminary, coupled with their experience serving with EI in Malawi provide an almost perfect fit for the needs we have in our small team right now. We look forward to seeing how God will use the gifts, skills and experience he has already given them, as well as developing new ones as they work alongside Tanzanian Christians and rural communities. On behalf of the EI Tanzania team, we are very excited to welcome them as part of our team here, and to learn together as we serve.”

The Monger family is part of the Tanzania team, but they recently moved from Iringa to begin a new work in Mwanza. It has been a blessing to be able to read their blog archives to learn about their experiences in Tanzania, which has been great for preparing us and getting us excited about joining the EI-TZ team.